The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 3

Arthur Conan Doyle never wasted time in getting his stories moving. His plots are always direct and refreshingly lucid, and the narrative has a velocity that sweeps you along right to the end. This was no doubt a large part of his immense worldwide success. Not surprisingly, each time he tried to end the series, his fans would howl in protest. But, as he says in the preface to his last collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, all good things must come to an end.

The Adventure of Wisteria LodgeThe Adventure of the Cardboard Box*(see below)The Adventure of the Red CircleThe Adventure of the Bruce-Partington PlansThe Adventure of the Dying DetectiveThe Adventure of Lady Frances CarfaxThe Adventure of the Devil's FootHis Last Bow (told in the third person)

The Valley of Fear (Serialized novel published 1914-1915)

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (short stories, published 1921-1927)

The Adventure of the The Illustrious ClientThe Adventure of the Blanched Soldier (Holmes narrates)The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone (told in the third person)The Adventure of the Three GablesThe Adventure of the Sussex VampireThe Adventure of the Three GarridebsThe Problem of Thor BridgeThe Adventure of the Creeping ManThe Adventure of the Lion's Man (Holmes narrates)The Adventure of the Veiled LodgerThe Adventure of Shoscombe Old PlaceThe Adventure of the Retired Colourman

*(The Adventure of the Cardboard Box chronologically appears in the canon in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - circa 1892-1893 - but, for some reason, appears in this Volume 3 audiobook.)

The Once and Future King

The complete "box set" of T. H. White's epic fantasy novel of the Arthurian legend. The novel is made up of five parts: "The Sword in the Stone", "The Witch in the Wood", "The Ill-Made Knight", "The Candle in the Wind", and "The Book of Merlyn".

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

These stories are about how, many years ago, Arthur the once and future King of England, set out to save his country from the troubles that plagued it, aided by the brave knights of the Round Table, and the most famous sword in the world, Excalibur. How Merlin the Wizard fought against the wicked Morgana le Fay's enchantments, and how Arthur loved and lost the beautiful Guinevere, his Queen.

I have the Howard Pyle version, which is fine - a classic for sure, but a little on the wordy side and a bit dry for my 7-year-old daughter. I thought this shorter version would be more accessible for her. It's exciting - Sean Bean's narration and the soundtrack make it a good listen. But I'm glad I previewed it before playing it for my daughter. I'm no prude, but I don't want my young daughter to hear about the Lancelot, Arthur, Guinevere love triangle just yet. In this version, Lancelot spends the night with Guinevere while she's married to Arthur, and they're accused of being lovers. Also, Arthur and Lancelot both father sons resulting form bizarre encounters with women who trick them. I've read many versions of the Arthurian legend (from Marion Zimmer Bradley, etc.), so it's not like I was unaware of these events and character connections. I just didn't expect them to come up in a version supposedly for young children. I think I'll wait a few years before exposing my daughter to these complex adult themes.

The Road from Coorain

In the 1930s, Jill Ker's parents bought a sheep farm on the western plains of New South Wales. In 1944, they lost nearly everything when a drought hit. Forced to leave Coorain, 11-year-old Jill and her mother settled in Sydney where Jill struggled to find a place for herself among Sydney's elite. Her story, both a chronicle of life in the Australian outback and the odyssey of a brilliant woman fighting the constraints of her time, offers a loving view of Australia.

When I was in my early 20s and ready to set off for 2 years as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, I asked friends and family to recommend books I might take along with me, and an aunt who knew me well recommended this one. Unfortunately I didn't bring it along, and I didn't get around to reading it until now, nearly 20 years later. So glad I finally did. What a beautifully written memoir! And what a fine example of an intelligent, thoughtful girl's journey of self-discovery. The descriptions of 1940s life in the Australian outback are vivid and fascinating, and the taste of life in Sydney during the author's adolescent years and young adulthood are equally interesting. Barbara Caruso's narration is superb, as usual.

Anna Karenina

Considered by some to be the world's greatest novel, Anna Karenina contains two plots: the tragedy of Madame Karenina, in love with a man who is not her husband; and the story of Konstantine Levin, a sensitive man whose personal philosophy is Tolstoy's reason for writing about him.

The only thing that prevented me from giving this audiobook 5 stars is that the recording quality is not great - you can hear echos, and that can be annoying. But at least they're echos of Nadia May's excellent narration! I read this novel quite a while ago and thought I'd reread it - so glad I chose the Nadia May narration! She reads the entire novel as though she's as absorbed in the story as possible, which in turn causes the listener to be as absorbed as possible. This is much appreciated when the novel is this long! Of course Tolstoy's writing is excellent, so that, too, draws one in. I still feel the same way I did 15 years ago when I first read this classic: Why isn't the title "Levin" instead? Even with Nadia May's talented voice to animate her, Anna failed to captivate me as a character compared to the self-analytical, soul-searching Levin. Regardless, "Anna Karenina" remains one of my favorite books, and I certainly am glad to have found an audio version to adore as well!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Volume 1: The Ring Sets Out

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

Rob Inglis is the perfect narrator for this story. I just wish the book wasn't sold in six separate parts - very (and unnecessarily) pricey. But I bought and enjoyed all six anyway - the story is too well written, and Rob Inglis does too good a job reading it, to stop after the first one.

The Casual Vacancy

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early 40s, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils.... Pagford is not what it at first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen.

If you're a Harry Potter fan, then you'll understand when I say that reading "The Casual Vacancy" is like reading a novel set entirely in Little Whinging. If you haven't read the Potter books, suffice it to say that throughout this listen I felt as if I were driving by a tragic car wreck...and just couldn't look away. The characters are real and flawed. The story is dark and raw. The plot twists kept me guessing. I didn't particularly love any of the characters, and yet I was drawn to them, and I wanted to know how things would turn out for them. But there was no relief from the meanness and pettiness of ordinary life in a small town like one finds in the Potter books, no Hagrid or Dumbledore popping in to whisk us away to the world of magic and adventure. Not that I was expecting that. I knew what I was getting myself into. But I couldn't help wishing for such a thing throughout the listen. Still, I resonated with the social commentary, and I found J. K. Rowling's writing to be just as satisfying as I always have. The narration was highly enjoyable. Tom Hollander did a great job of portraying each character with a distinct voice.

Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street

When the first episode aired on Nov. 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized the way education was presented to children on television. It has since become the longest-running children's show in history, and today reaches 8 million pre-schoolers on 350 PBS stations and airs in 120 countries. Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark.

I watched as a kid. I had the toy brownstone and plastic characters. Now I'm a teacher and a mother of a bicultural child, and I have my daughter watch "Sesame Street Old School" videos (episodes from the late 60s and 70s - the ones I grew up on). I've long had a vague awareness that Sesame Street was/is a groundbreaking, well-researched show, but now that I've listened to this audiobook I have a much better understanding of what went into creating it. It's heartwarming to hear about how committed the originators were to achieving their vision. Other reviewers have complained about Caroll Spinney's narration, but for me hearing him tell a story that's so close to his own heart made the experience more meaningful.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Lady Chatterley's Lover, written in 1928, tells the story of a passionate love affair between an upper class woman and her husband’s gamekeeper, which was thought to be so shocking in its content and its straightforward use of explicit sexual terms, that it was not officially published until 1960.

Middlemarch

At the center of Middlemarch is Dorothea Brooke, a thoughtful and idealistic young woman determined to make a difference with her life. Enamored of a man who she believes is setting this example, she traps herself into a loveless marriage. Her parallel is Tertius Lydgate, a young doctor from the city whose passionate ambition to spread the new science of medicine is complicated by his love for the wrong woman.

I tried to read this book once or twice over the years and just couldn't get into it. I have vague recollections of not resonating with Dorothea, and giving up when she considers marrying Casaubon. But, due to Nadia May's perfect reading, I now consider this novel to be one of my favorites. There was something about May's inflection that helped me to really understand and admire Dorothea, not to mention several other characters with whom I had hitherto been unable to sympathize. In an attempt to avoid giving anything away, I will resist the urge to copy and paste the last paragraph of the novel here, but suffice it to say that I think making it to the last paragraph would make reading this tome worthwhile even if it din't contain all of its other myriad charms. I will definitely be reading more George Eliot (and listening to more Nadia May) in the future.

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